net

1 of 5

noun (1)

1
a
: an open-meshed fabric twisted, knotted, or woven together at regular intervals
b
: something made of net: such as
(1)
: a device for catching fish, birds, or insects
(2)
: a fabric barricade (see barricade entry 2 sense 1a) which divides a court in half (as in tennis or volleyball) and over which a ball or shuttlecock must be hit to be in play
(3)
: the fabric that encloses the sides and back of the goal (see goal sense 2a) in various games (such as soccer or hockey)
shot the puck into the net
2
: an entrapping device or situation
caught in the net of suspicious circumstances
cannot escape the net of circumstances in which he is caughtW. P. Webb
3
: something resembling a net in reticulation (as of lines, fibers, or figures)
the net of global communication
… the systemic net of restrictions …John Edgar Wideman
4
a
: a group of communications stations operating under unified control
Army radio net
5
or less commonly Net : internet
world news on the Net
netless adjective
netlike adjective
netty adjective

net

2 of 5

verb (1)

netted; netting

transitive verb

1
: to cover or enclose with or as if with a net
2
: to catch in or as if in a net
3
: to cover with or as if with a network
4
a
: to hit (a ball) into the net for the loss of a point in a racket game
b
: to hit (a ball or puck) into the goal for a score (as in hockey or soccer)
also : to score (a point or goal) by netting a ball or puck
netter noun

net

3 of 5

adjective

1
: free from all charges or deductions: such as
a
: remaining after the deduction of all charges, outlay, or loss
net earnings
net worth
compare gross
b
: excluding all tare
net weight
2
: excluding all nonessential considerations : basic, final
the net result
net effect

net

4 of 5

verb (2)

netted; netting

transitive verb

1
a
: to receive by way of profit : clear
b
: to produce by way of profit : yield
2
: to get possession of : gain

net

5 of 5

noun (2)

1
: a net amount, profit, weight, or price
2
: the score of a golfer in a handicap match after deducting his or her handicap from the gross score
3

Examples of net in a Sentence

Adjective The net result of the new bridge will be fewer traffic jams.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
But his biggest shot came down one in overtime, taking a pass at the top of the key, driving right into the lane and hoisting a soft bank shot that nestled into the net for the lead with 14 seconds left. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2024 Granlund had the puck on his stick to the right of the Sharks’ net when he was checked against the boards by Rust. Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2024 Since 2008, the Hudson River Eel Project has relied on close to 1,000 citizen scientists donating their time every spring to net, count, and release about two million juvenile American eels. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 13 Mar. 2024 Odegaard’s sublime pass found Trossard in space inside the area and the Belgian stroked the ball unerringly into the bottom corner of the net. Matias Grez, CNN, 12 Mar. 2024 The 20-year-old from Italy dropped his racket and brought his hands to his face almost in disbelief before greeting Djokovic at the net. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024 Along their journey, salmon sharks are accidentally caught in fishing nets and longlines. Heather Welch, The Conversation, 6 Mar. 2024 Scientists aboard a research vessel off the coast of Spain sifted through the rubble dumped from a trawling net. Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2024 His industrious first half was rewarded in the 44th minute after his speculative shot was deflected into the net, sparking wild celebrations both on and off the pitch. Ben Church, CNN, 29 Feb. 2024
Verb
The Row Oregon tote bag Gabriela Hearst Rainer netted tote bag Ulla Johnson Marta small raffia tote The New Shoulder Bag Compact and ladylike, the shoulder bag that reigned supreme on the spring runways is characterized by clean lines and a short strap. Madeline Fass, Vogue, 15 Mar. 2024 Doncic also netted his fifth straight 35-point triple-double, extending his own record. Jacob Lev, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024 The United States’ Smith, Alyssa Naeher (goalkeeper) and Lindsey Horan all netted their shots. Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2024 There were five tickets sold that matched five winning numbers, which netted those winners $6,500 apiece, officials said. Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 Reaching the College Football Playoff will net him $200K, which will be upped to $250K if the Jayhawks advance to the quarterfinal of the 12-team field. Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 28 Feb. 2024 And things won’t get much better after a quiet winter that netted only groundball pitcher Cal Quantrill as a replacement for Chris Flexen. Dan Schlossberg, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024 The Vanderpump Rules star reportedly netted upwards of $1 million on the heels of her breakup, in part through lucrative brand deals and sponsorships with the likes of Duracell. Hanna Lustig, Glamour, 1 Mar. 2024 Once near the bank his pal Burns tried netting it, but the net was too small for the trout to easily fit into. Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 28 Feb. 2024
Adjective
Since 2020, the net worth of the five wealthiest people on Earth has surged by 114 percent to a total of $869 billion, Oxfam’s annual inequality report shows. Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2024 According to Bloomberg's list of billionaires, the richest people in the world are: Jeff Bezos, with a total net worth of $200 billion Elon Musk, $198 billion Bernard Arnault, $197 billion Mark Zuckerberg, $179 billion Bill Gates, $150 billion Where does Snapchat founder Evan Spiegel rank? Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 5 Mar. 2024 Bloomberg now estimates the Tesla CEO has a net worth of $197.7 billion, compared to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s fortune of $200.3 billion. Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 5 Mar. 2024 Bezos, whose net worth is currently estimated at $200 billion, last held the top honor in 2021. Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024 Bernard Arnault, 74, the chairman of LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the world’s largest luxury-goods maker, also ranks among the world’s wealthiest with a net worth of $197.5 billion. Tom Maloney, Fortune, 4 Mar. 2024 The attorney general, Letitia James, sued Mr. Trump in 2022, accusing him of wildly inflating his net worth to obtain favorable loans and other benefits. Kate Christobek, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2024 The Amazon founder’s net worth was $200 billion, while Musk followed at $198 billion. Ramishah Maruf, CNN, 4 Mar. 2024 The net positivity score is based on the ratio of positive to negative words from the Loughran and McDonald's Sentiment Word Lists and compares that to the total number of words. Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 22 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'net.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1) and Verb (1)

Middle English nett, from Old English; akin to Old High German nezzi net

Adjective

Middle English, clean, pure, from Anglo-French — more at neat entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1758, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

circa 1904, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of net was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near net

Cite this Entry

“Net.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/net. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

net

1 of 5 noun
1
: a fabric made of threads, cords, ropes, or wires that weave in and out with much open space
2
: something made of net: as
a
: a device for catching fish, birds, or insects
b
: a fabric barricade which divides a court in half (as in tennis or badminton)
c
: the fabric that encloses the sides and back of the goal (as in hockey or soccer)
3
: something that traps like a net
a net of thorns
4
: a network of lines, fibers, or figures
5
often capitalized : internet
netlike adjective
netted
ˈnet-əd
adjective

net

2 of 5 verb
netted; netting
1
: to cover with or as if with a net
2
: to catch in or as if in a net
net fish
3
: to hit the ball into the net in a racket game
netter noun

net

3 of 5 adjective
: free from all charges or deductions
net profit
net weight

net

4 of 5 verb
netted; netting
: to gain or produce as profit
netted five dollars on the sale

net

5 of 5 noun
: a net amount, profit, weight, or price
Etymology

Noun

Old English nett "net fabric"

Adjective

from earlier net "neat," from Middle English net "clean, bright," derived from Latin nitidus "bright, lustrous" — related to neat see Word History at neat

Medical Definition

net

noun
: network
in the portal system, blood passes through two capillary netsE. B. Steen & Ashley Montagu

Legal Definition

net

adjective
: remaining after deduction of all charges, outlay, or loss
the net proceeds
compare gross
Etymology

Adjective

Anglo-French, clean, pure, from Latin nitidus bright, neat, from nitēre to shine

More from Merriam-Webster on net

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